November 11
Events * 308 - The Congress of Carnuntum: Attempting to keep peace within the Roman Empire, the leaders of the Tetrarchy declare Maxentius and Licinius to be Augusti, while rival contender Constantine I is declared Caesar of Britain and Gaul. *1215 - The Fourth Lateran Council meets, defining the doctrine of transubstantiation, the process by which bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. *1500 - Treaty of Granada - Louis XII of France and Ferdinand II of Aragon agree to divide the Kingdom of Naples between them. *1620 - In what is now Provincetown Harbor near Cape Cod, the Mayflower Compact is signed on the Mayflower, establishing the basic laws for the Plymouth Colony. (Old Style date, 21 November in New Style date.) *1634 - Following pressure from Anglican bishop John Atherton, the Irish House of Commons passes "An Act for the Punishment for the Vice of Buggery". *1673 - Second Battle of Khotyn in the Ukraine, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth forces under the command of Jan Sobieski. defeat the Ottoman army. In this battle, rockets of Kazimierz Siemienowicz were successfully used. *1675 - Gottfried Leibniz demonstrated integral calculus for the first time to find the area under the graph of y'' = ''f(x'') function. *1724 - Joseph Blake, alias Blueskin, a highwayman known for attacking "Thief-Taker General" (and thief) Jonathan Wild at the Old Bailey, is hanged in London. *1750 - The F.H.C. Society, also known as the Flat Hat Club, was formed at Raleigh Tavern, Williamsburg, Virginia. It was the first college fraternity. *1778 - Cherry Valley Massacre: an attack by Loyalists and Seneca Indian forces on a fort and village in eastern New York during the American Revolutionary War, killing more than forty civilians and soldiers. *1805 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Dürenstein - 8000 French troops attempted to slow the retreat of a vastly superior Russian and Austrian force. *1831 - In Jerusalem, Nat Turner is hanged after inciting a violent slave uprising. *1839 - The Virginia Military Institute is founded in Lexington. *1864 - American Civil War: Sherman's March to the Sea - Union General William Tecumseh Sherman begins burning Atlanta to the ground in preparation for his march south. *1865 - Treaty of Sinchula is signed in which Bhutan ceded the areas east of the Teesta River to the British East India Company. *1880 - Australian Bushranger Ned Kelly is hanged at Melbourne Gaol. *1887 - Anarchist Haymarket Martyrs August Spies, Albert Parsons, Adolph Fischer and George Engel are executed. * 1887 - Construction of the Manchester Ship Canal starts at Eastham. *1889 - Washington is admitted as the 42nd U.S. state. *1911 - Many cities in the U.S. Midwest broke their record highs and lows on the same day as a strong cold front rolls through. (see The 11/11/11 cold wave). *1918 - World War I ends: Germany signs an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car outside of Compiègne in France. The war officially stops at 11:00 (The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month). * 1918 - Józef Piłsudski comes to Warsaw and assumes supreme military power in Poland. Poland regains its independence. * 1918 - Emperor Charles I of Austria relinquishes power. *1919 - The Centralia Massacre in Centralia results the deaths of four members of the American Legion and the lynching of a local leader of the IWW. *1921 - The Tomb of the Unknowns is dedicated by US President Warren G. Harding at Arlington National Cemetery. *1924 - Prime Minister Alexandros Papanastasiou proclaims the first Greek Republic. *1926 - U.S. Route 66 is established. *1930 - Patent number US1781541 was awarded to Albert Einstein and Leó Szilárd for their invention, the Einstein refrigerator. *1933 - Dust Bowl: In South Dakota, a very strong dust storm strips topsoil from desiccated farmlands. *1940 - World War II: Battle of Taranto - The Royal Navy launches the first aircraft carrier strike in history, on the Italian fleet at Taranto. * 1940 - The German cruiser ''Atlantis captures top secret British mail, and sends it to Japan. * 1940 - Armistice Day Blizzard: An unexpected blizzard kills 144 in U.S. Midwest. *1942 - World War II: Nazi Germany completed their occupation of France. *1962 - Kuwait's National Assembly ratifies the Constitution of Kuwait. *1965 - In Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe), the white-minority government of Ian Smith unilaterally declares independence. *1966 - NASA launches spaceship Gemini 12. *1967 - Vietnam War: In a propaganda ceremony in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, three American prisoners of war are released by the Viet Cong and turned over to "new left" antiwar activist Tom Hayden. *1968 - Vietnam War: Operation Commando Hunt initiated. The goal was to interdict men and supplies on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, through Laos into South Vietnam. *1968 - A second republic is declared in the Maldives. *1972 - Vietnam War: Vietnamization - The United States Army turns over the massive Long Binh military base to South Vietnam. *1975 - Australian constitutional crisis of 1975: Australian Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismisses the government of Gough Whitlam and commissions Malcolm Fraser as caretaker Prime Minister, and announces a general election to be held in early December. *1992 - The Church of England votes to allow women to become priests. *2000 - In Kaprun, Austria, 155 skiers and snowboarders die when a cable car catches fire in an alpine tunnel. *2004 - New Zealand Tomb of the Unknown Warrior dedicated at the National War Memorial, Wellington. *2004 - Yasser Arafat is confirmed dead by the Palestine Liberation Organization, of unidentified causes. Mahmoud Abbas is elected chairman of the PLO minutes later. *2006 - The New Zealand war memorial monument was unveiled by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in London, United Kingdom, commemorating the loss on soldiers from the New Zealand Army and the British Army. *2007 - Kerch Strait Oil Spill. 1000 tonnes of crude oil spilt into the Kerch Strait. Births *995 - Gisela of Swabia, Holy Roman Empire Empress (d. 1041) *1050 - Henry IV (d. 1106) *1154 - King Sancho I of Portugal (d. 1212) *1155 - King Alfonso VIII of Castile (d. 1214) *1220 - Alphonse of Toulouse, son of Louis VIII of France (d. 1271) *1493 - Paracelsus, doctor (d. 1541) * 1493 - Bernardo Tasso, Italian poet (d. 1569) *1599 - Prince Octavio Piccolomini, Austrian field marshal (d. 1656) * 1599 - Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg, Queen of Sweden (d. 1655) *1633 - George Savile, British statesman (d. 1695) *1668 - Johann Albert Fabricius, German scholar and bibliographer (d. 1736) *1743 - Carl Peter Thunberg, Swedish naturalist (d. 1828) *1744 - Abigail Adams, First Lady of the United States (d. 1818) *1748 - King Charles IV of Spain (d. 1819) *1764 - Barbara Juliana, Russian writer (d. 1824) *1791 - Josef Munzinger, Swiss Federal Councillor (d. 1855) *1792 - Mary Anne Evans, English wife of Benjamin Disraeli (d. 1872) *1821 - Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Russian novelist (d. 1881) *1828 - Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji, Hindu saint (d. 1963) *1836 - Thomas Bailey Aldrich, American poet and novelist (d. 1907) *1852 - Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, Austro-Hungarian field marshal (d. 1925) *1858 - Marie Bashkirtseff, Russian painter (d. 1884) *1863 - Paul Signac, French painter (d. 1935) *1864 - Alfred Hermann Fried, Austrian pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1921) *1869 - King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy (d. 1947) *1882 - King Gustav VI Adolf of Sweden (d. 1973) *1883 - Ernest Ansermet, Swiss conductor (d. 1969) *1885 - George Smith Patton, American general (d. 1945) *1887 - Roland Young, American actor (d. 1953) *1891 - Rabbit Maranville, American baseball player (d. 1954) *1898 - Rene Clair, French film director (d. 1981) *1899 - Pat O'Brien, American film actor (d. 1983) *1900 - Halina Konopacka, Polish athlete (d. 1989) *1901 - F. Van Wyck Mason, American author (d. 1978) * 1901 - Magda Goebbels, wife of Nazi minister of propaganda, Josef Goebbels (d. 1945) * 1901 - Sam Spiegel, Austrian-born American film producer (d. 1985) *1904 - Alger Hiss, American government official and spy (d. 1994) * 1904 - J. H. C. Whitehead, British mathematician (d. 1960) *1909 - Robert Ryan, American actor (d. 1973) *1912 - Thomas C. Mann, American diplomat (d. 1999) *1914 - Howard Fast, American author (d. 2003) * 1914 - Henry Wade, American lawyer (d. 2001) *1915 - William Proxmire, American politician (d. 2005) *1918 - Stubby Kaye, American comic actor (d. 1997) *1919 - Kalle Päätalo, Finnish novelist (d. 2000) *1920 - Roy Jenkins, British politician (d. 2003) *1921 - Terrell Bell, American politician (d. 1996) *1922 - Kurt Vonnegut, American novelist (d. 2007) *1925 - June Whitfield, British comedian * 1925 - Jonathan Winters, American comedian and actor *1926 - Harry Lumley, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1998) *1927 - Mose Allison, American jazz pianist and singer *1928 - Carlos Fuentes, Mexican writer * 1928 - Gracita Morales, Spanish actress (d. 1995) *1929 - Hans Magnus Enzensberger, German writer * 1929 - LaVern Baker, American singer (d. 1997) *1930 - Hank Garland, American guitar virtuoso (d. 2004) * 1930 - Hugh Everett, American physicist (d. 1982) * 1930 - Vernon Handley, English conductor *1934 - Jim Perry, American and Canadian television host *1936 - Jack Keller, American songwriter (d. 2005) *1937 - Stephen Lewis, Canadian politician and diplomat *1938 - Ants Antson, Estonian speed skater * 1938 - Haruhiro Yamashita, Japanese gymnast *1939 - Denise Alexander, American actress *1940 - Barbara Boxer, American politician *1941 - Jesse Colin Young, American singer and songwriter (The Youngbloods) *1943 - Doug Frost, Australian swimming coach *1945 - Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua * 1945 - Vince Martell, American guitarist (Vanilla Fudge) *1946 - Chris Dreja, British musician (The Yardbirds) *1950 - Mircea Dinescu, Romanian poet * 1950 - Jim Peterik, American musician and songwriter (Survivor) * 1950 - Ed Ordynski, Australian rally driver *1951 - Kim Peek, American megasavant * 1951 - Marc Summers, American game show host *1953 - Marshall Crenshaw, American musician * 1953 - Andy Partridge, English musician (XTC) *1954 - Mary Gaitskill, American novelist *1955 - Dave Alvin, American songwriter and guitarist *1958 - Luz Casal, Spanish singer * 1958 - Carlos Lacamara, Cuban-born American Actor *1959 - Lee Haney, American bodybuilder * 1959 - Christian Clemenson, American actor *1960 - Peter Parros, American actor * 1960 - Stanley Tucci, American actor and director *1961 - Jan Kuehnemund, American guitarist * 1962 - Mic Michaeli, Swedish keyboardist *1962 - Demi Moore, American actress * 1962 - James Morrison, Australian musician *1964 - Judith Edelman, American musician * 1964 - Calista Flockhart, American actress *1965 - Max Mutchnick, American TV writer and producer *1966 - Alison Doody, Irish actress *1967 - Gil de Ferran, Brazilian race car driver *1968 - David L Cook, American singer and comedian *1969 - Carson Kressley, American television personality *1970 - Lee Battersby, Australian author *1971 - Jennifer Celotta, American TV producer and writer * 1971 - Paul Chaloner, English TV e-sports commentator *1972 - Adam Beach, Canadian actor * 1972 - Tyler Christopher, American actor * 1972 - Leslie Mann, American actress *1973 - Jason White, American musician (Green Day) *1974 - Leonardo DiCaprio, American actor * 1974 - Wajahatullah Wasti, Pakistani cricketer *1976 - Lisa Gleave, American actress and model * 1976 - Jason Grilli, Relief pitcher for the Detroit Tigers * 1976 - Jesse Keeler, Canadian musician *1977 - Ben Hollioake, English cricketer (d. 2002) * 1977 - Maniche, Portuguese footballer *1979 - Courtenay Semel, American reality TV star *1980 - Willie Parker, American football player * 1981 - Guillaume *1982 - Brittny Gastineau, American socialite *1983 - Philipp Lahm, German footballer * 1983 - Matt Garza, American baseball player Deaths *397 - Martin of Tours, French saint *405 - Arsacius, intruding archbishop of Constantinople *537 - Pope Silverius, saint *826 - Theodore the Studite, saint *865 - Petronas the Patrician, Byzantine General *1623 - Philippe de Mornay, French writer (b. 1549) *1638 - Cornelis Corneliszoon van Haarlem, Dutch painter (b. 1562) *1686 - Louis II de Bourbon, French general (b. 1621) * 1686 - Otto von Guericke, German scientist, inventor, and politician (b. 1602) *1724 - Joseph Blake (alias Blueskin), English highwayman (executed) (b. c. 1700) *1812 - Platon Levshin, Metropoitan of Moscow (b. 1737) *1831 - Nat Turner, American slave rebel (b. 1800) *1855 - Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher (b. 1813) *1862 - James Madison Porter, American politician (b. 1793) *1880 - Ned Kelly, Australian bushranger (hanged) * 1880 - Lucretia Mott, American feminist and abolitionist (b. 1793) *1884 - Alfred Brehm German zoologist (b. 1827) *1887 - Haymarket defendants: ** - George Engel (b. 1836) ** - Adolph Fischer (b. 1858) ** - Albert Parsons (b. 1848) ** - August Spies (b. 1855) *1917 - Liliuokalani of Hawaii, Queen of Hawaii (b. 1838) *1918 - George Lawrence Price, Canadian soldier, last person to be killed in W.W.I. (b. 1892) *1931 - Shibusawa Eiichi, Japanese industrialist (b. 1840) *1938 - Typhoid Mary, carrier of the typhoid disease (b. 1869) *1939 - Jan Opletal, Czech student, victim of Nazi violence in Prague *1945 - Jerome Kern, American composer (b. 1885) *1972 - Berry Oakley, Bass Player and founder, Allman Brothers Band (b. 1948) *1973 - David "Stringbean" Akeman, American banjo player (b. 1915) * 1973 - Artturi Ilmari Virtanen, Finnish chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1895) *1974 - Alfonso Leng, Chilean composer (b. 1894) *1976 - Alexander Calder, American artist (b. 1898) *1977 - Greta Keller, Vienna-born cabaret singer and actress (b. 1903) *1979 - Dimitri Tiomkin, Ukrainian-born composer (b. 1894) *1988 - William Ifor Jones, Welsh conductor & organist (b. 1900) *1990 - Alexis Minotis, Greek actor (b. 1898) * 1990 - Yiannis Ritsos, Greek poet, proposed nine times for the Nobel Prize for Literature, winner of the Lenin Peace Prize (b. 1909) * 1990 - Attilio Demaría, Argentinian footballer (b. 1909) *1993 - Erskine Hawkins, American trumpet player and big band leader (b. 1914) *1994 - Pedro Zamora, Cuban-American AIDS activist (b. 1972) * 1994 - Tadeusz Żychiewicz, Polish journalist, art historian and publicist (b. 1922) *1997 - Rodney Milburn, American athlete (b. 1950) *1999 - Mary Kay Bergman, American voice actress (b. 1961) * 1999 - Jacobo Timmerman, Argentine writer and journalist (b. 1923) *2004 - Yasser Arafat, Palestinian leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (b. 1929) * 2004 - Richard Dembo, French director and screenwriter (b. 1948) *2005 - Lord Lichfield, British photographer (b. 1939) * 2005 - Peter Drucker, American management theorist (b. 1909) * 2005 - Moustapha Akkad, Syrian-American film producer and director (b. 1930) *2006 - Belinda Emmett, Australian actress (b. 1974) * 2006 - Harry Lehotsky, pastor and activist (b. 1957) Holidays and observances Several nations celebrate, in some way, the end of World War I, the ceasefire of which went into effect at 11:00am CET on this day in 1918. *Armistice Day in New Zealand, France and Belgium *St. Martin's Day in the Netherlands, Germany, Flanders, Austria and Portugal *Veterans Day in the United States (called Armistice Day until 1952, when the name was changed, and the holiday was re-geared toward all military veterans) *Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth of Nations, including Australia and Canada. *Twins Day (1987) in Taiwan: a festival for biological twins and other multiples. The eleventh day of the eleventh month (11-11) consists of the same numeral in pairs and symbolizes their characteristics. *Poland - Independence Day (1918) *Colombia - Independence of Cartagena, from Spain (1811) *Lāčplēsis Day (1919) in Latvia: the official date for commemoration of Latvian soldiers, who had died for the country's freedom. *Angola - Independence Day (1975) *Opening of carnival season in Germany ("Karneval"/"Fasching" on 11-11, at 11:11), the Netherlands, and other countries *South Korea - Pepero Day Feast day of: *Bartholomew of Grottaferrata in the Roman Catholic Church *Martin of Tours in the Roman Catholic Church *Saint Mina in the Roman Catholic Church *Soren Kierkegaard in the Lutheran Church Popular culture: *Singles Day External links *BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- Category:November